Day 4 – Pembrokeshire Coast & Snowdonia

Day 4 of the VisitBritain Road Trip was definitely a day in two halves. We awoke to grey skies and wind, and first called in at the very breezy local beach for a few pics. We then set out northward through the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, with several detours to tiny fishing villages built along steep-sided valley dropping down to narrow inlets.

After leaving the National Park we rode parallel to the coast past Aberyswyth, where the rain started in earnest. All that green has to be watered some time! After being turned back by a flooded road at Machynlleth we diverted inland and took shelter in the “Country Kitchen” – a lovely roadside diner purchased only three weeks ago by a very welcoming gal from Seattle.

We then joined one of my favourite roads and my personal hot tip for the single best route through Wales – the A470. Even in the rain and wind the scenery was magnificent – pine forests, wooded valleys, prime rolling farmland and, as we entered Snowdonia National Park, a mountain pass with blowing cloud. Magnificent, but it was definitely not ideal photography conditions.

By this stage we were consigned to the prospect of writing off all three Welsh National Parks for photos, but then in the space of two miles we were reminded of why you should never give up on British Weather. The sky turned blue with white fluffy clouds, the sun came out and Snowdonia fairly glistened in the freshly-washed, crystal clear air.

We crossed under the Blaenau-Ffestiniog railway line (can definitely recommend a ride from several previous visits) and rode through moss-covered woodland and over stone bridges to the village of Beddgelert, stopping for photos frequently. Just beyond Beddgelert looms the peak of the mighty Snowdon and the Pen Y Pass, where we finally and regretfully turned toward Betws-y-Coed and the western exit to the National Park.

We still had about three hours to ride before our beds in the Court Croft B&B in the Yorkshire Dales National Park village of Hebden. The motorway bash through the industrial heartland of England is best forgotten, but after reaching the Dales the countryside we could see in the evening light was beautiful. We can’t wait for tomorrow’s riding, which combines the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District National Parks.